Some quick tips learned over the years

Tip #1: Make friends with other parents on the team and to set up a carpool

I am so lucky to have a partner who helps chauffeur our athletes to and from practice three times a week, and who also remembers to put every practice and game in the family calendar. And since sometimes jobs get in the way (btw - why do coaches schedule practices when parents are working?), we rely heavily on two separate carpools. When we are super lucky, sometimes all the carpools align. Both kids end up getting rides from other parents, leaving us with two to three whole hours alone!

Tip #2: Invest in a good hat

Being a parent is stressful, and you can see that by my wrinkles and gray streaks in my hair. I don’t need the sun’s rays to add to my aging. Giving up on trying to be the cool mom made it much easier to buy my wide brimmed, chin strapped hat.

Tip #3: Don’t coach from the sideline

Your kid already has a coach. Trust the coach, and most importantly trust your kid. Your kid has put in the time, effort, and sweat leading up to the game. Trust that they will give their team their 100% effort. Trust that they remember all the tips, tricks, and reminders you shared in the car ride to the game. Don’t coach. Cheer. Kids know what they need to do in the game. Sometimes it just doesn’t translate from practice to the game. Your encouragement and support is all they need.

Tip #4: Feedback is great…just save it for a day or two

We have learned the hard way that debriefing after a game is a great way to make a kid cry. After a few failed attempts at discussing what went well or different ways to improve, we finally realized that our kids are at the age where they need time to digest their game, their performance, their joy and/or their disappointment on their own. We have to take a beat before we swoop in to chat about it. When the kid is ready and lets us know, the conversation goes much better for all of us.

What tips can you share? Tag #turning2sports on your post.